By Emma Young
Only about three years after conceiving of what must surely be the metro area’s most creative ever infill project, the owner is preparing to welcome his new neighbours.
Murdoch University sustainability expert and author Chris Ferreira is known for projects transforming unloved Perth spaces into welcoming gardens, and for annually opening his home for tours and workshops to teach people how they can achieve environmentally friendly housing.
Now he is preparing his Hamilton Hill home, a postwar 1950s cottage on a large block retrofitted with every sustainability measure under the sun, to go even further.
“Rezonings were possibly going to be the death of our suburbs,” he said of the City of Cockburn’s decision a few years ago to rezone the area to R40.
“Big box houses and battleaxe driveways.
“For us it was a no-brainer to try to show there can be density without sacrifice.”
He sold the granny flat out the back of his quarter-acre block to an elderly retired concert pianist and used the proceeds to build what he dubbed his “inspired infill” project in the other corner of his backyard: two apartments, a 2x1 on the ground floor, and a 1x1 bath on top.
They are of “passivhaus”, a German design method. This combines high performance glazing, insulation and an airtight building envelope to regulate internal temperature to 22 degrees year-round, with airflow controlled by a heat pump system.
The lack of need for heating and cooling alongside the solar power and battery storage will reduce the owners’ power bills to negligible levels.
Plenty of recycled materials were used in the construction, including the jarrah cladding.
There is no driveway to each dwelling; rather, each has one car bay in the front of the house, achieved by shaving a very small portion off the ample front garden.
Avoiding giving up space for driveways and turning circles allowed the retention of the ample backyard space, now common land under a strata plan. They share a solar power system with battery storage and rainwater and greywater catchment systems.
The new buildings are nearing completion and should have occupants in the new year. Credit: Emma Young
The 40-square-metre 1x1, accessed by the side stairs, has a separate bedroom, toilet and bathroom, and open-plan kitchen and living area that open on to the large balcony with a jaw-dropping, leafy view.
The granny flat and 65-square-metre 2x1 have a small private courtyard each and the main house retains its back verandah. The new dwellings also have a storage shed each.
All of this – the sale of the granny flat, the no driveway, the lot – has received planning approval from the City of Cockburn thanks to Ferreira employing skilled planning experts who, he said, understood the vision and were able to communicate and justify it to a council willing to think outside the box.
Ferreira also got the support of his neighbours on the sides, having carefully designed the apartments to be non-intrusive, and kept them to a double-storey limit.
The top balcony has a leafy view of almost 360 degrees. Credit: Emma Young
“The WA average home is 280 square metres,” Ferreira said.
“In France or Italy it’s 60.
“I wanted to challenge the idea that you have to have a big house to have a good home.
“We’re trying to show that everyone can do better with less.
The block.
“And that there can be a solid financial return to developments like these.”
People were ready to be convinced, it seems.
Ferreira said the homes “sold themselves” off the plan to owner-occupiers for $350,000 + GST (ground floor) and $320,000 + GST (top floor).
“Yes you can get a 4x2 for that, but you’d be out in Harrisdale or Butler,” he said.
None of the 40 trees on the block (ranging from 6-70 years old, 5-25 metres tall) were felled for the development.
For those interested in learning more from Fereirra, the Future Homes Expo is on December 4 at Murdoch University, with a range of speakers and displays on sustainable housing and innovative development.